My Beautiful Student
by ILoveToNya
Summary: Vega finds himself stuck with a young girl enamored with his beauty and eager to follow in his footsteps. Is Vega ready for the responsibility? Is he even willing to teach someone who wants to be as beautiful as him? Well, she'll have to work hard for it, that's for sure.
1. Chapter 1

Vega walked down the busy street of Seattle. The moonlight shined on his face as it reflected on the buildings nearby. It was fairly warm outside for it to be nighttime. He was wearing a long, grunge-y charcoal coat, without a shirt, and deep purple trousers. He brushed a hand through his brown hair and sighed. He wasn't out for any particular reason, just trying to get some air after intently hearing Bison's plans for his next mission. The streets of Seattle were surprisingly pleasant, the part he was in, at least. He looked at his golden watch and decided it was about time to return to the hotel. It was getting late, and he did need his beauty sleep after all.

He had wandered off so far that he had to take out his phone to search directions back to the hotel. He trotted past dark alleyways and barren areas with only one light pole. The Spaniard was beginning to get frustrated, as he decided that the phone was giving him either the worst path back or not the right path at all. He hated that certain part of cities that were very eerie. It made him wince just thinking about the dry, dark, nearly always disgusting areas. He forced himself to go through with it, not feeling like waiting for his phone to decipher different directions to his destination.

He squinted, trying to find someplace decent nearby, or at least somewhere with better lighting. There was a loud noise-something reminiscent of a thump against a building- that Vega ignored. The noise started to get louder and Vega started to get annoyed. He was startled by the shriek of a voice that sounded like it belonged to a small girl. Then as he peeked around the corner of a nearby alleyway, he felt a hasty, violent tug on the back of his jacket. He turned around to see a shivering girl breathing heavily as if she was tired-tugging on his jacket as if the Spaniard was going to protect her from something.

He met eyes with her attacker as the gruff looking man rounded the corner, looking for the girl. Vega scoffed as he saw the man huffing, covered with dirt. If anything, he was sure that the girl outran the man enough to make him tired. He turned around to face the scared girl as she tugged harder on his jacket. It wasn't his problem, sure, but it would be against his principles if he let a cute young lady such as herself get hurt by such an ugly, dirty man. Vega had took out his well-hidden claws from inside his jacket. It frightened the girl until he took a step forward and held out his arm to protect her. The man across from him clenched his teeth.

"This ain't your business buddy! Hand over the girl or else!"

Vega smirked, knowing the outcome of this too well. The man charged at him, trying to catch Vega with his big arms but failed. Vega jumped over the brute and taunted him by waving a hand through his hair. The man grunted as he tried again, ending up being slashed by the Spaniard's claws this time as he ran past. Blood ran down the man's back, forcing him to clench his eyes and fall to the ground. "Give up?"

The man was enraged at Vega's mockery, slowly getting back on his feet. He roared as he attempted to throw a punch at Vega's face, but the ninja was too quick for him, sticking his leg out for the gruff man to trip and fall on his face for the final time. The man had fell so hard Vega was convinced that his face had nearly cracked the pavement. He harshly stomped on the man's back, grinding his foot into it. The Spaniard laughed "You ugly pig. Shame on you, trying to hurt such an innocent girl." The girl just stood there with her legs shaking, contemplating whether she should run or stay put. She jumped as the Spanish ninja turned towards her, taking his foot off of the now unconscious man. She was confused as he proudly took a bow and walked towards her, putting his claw away.

"It seems that you won't have to worry about him anymore." The girl let out a heavy sigh of relief. Her mood shifted as she immediately shook Vega's hand and hugged him tightly, much to Vega's confusion. It was very rare for Vega to do mildly good-spirited things like this for strangers, let alone be thanked for it. He reluctantly patted her back before she pulled away.

"I'm so sorry I put you through that trouble. Thank you so much! That man was trying to…do dirty things with me…" She muttered. Vega scrunched up his face. He hated even the thought of forcing a beautiful woman to do venereal things against her will. And she was a underage girl at that. She looked around 14 to 16 years of age. The Spaniard wondered why the young girl was in this secluded area of the city.

He waved off as he started to go back on the path the phone directed him to. He paused as he was taken aback by the girl behind him moaning in protest to him leaving. Vega inwardly groaned, feeling a pinch of guilt for trying to leave the girl in this awful part of the city. It was none of his business, he would usually think, but not even himself could stand even looking at the filthy, dark alleyways and streets. He briefly played with his braided hair until he finally made a decision.

"Come home with me, dear."

"What?!" The statement had obviously put the girl on edge, about to run away when Vega grabbed her wrist. "I didn't mean it like that! I meant you should come with me to avoid running into more trouble!" Kindness was truly a pain for him to enact. The frail girl calmed herself while Vega slowly let go of her wrist. She blushed a little as she tried to find the right words to say.

"Y-yes sir...Thank you...I'll try to leave as soon as morning comes..."

The girl smiled as she put her hand in Vega's, letting him guide them to their destination. As if he wasn't already occupied by trying to find a way back home, now he had a child to take care of.


	2. Chapter 2

After about twenty minutes of going in circles and meeting dead ends, Vega and the girl eventually found their way to the hotel building. It was even bigger on the inside than the exterior. There were floral displays everywhere, chandeliers, and even exquisite food samples. All around the place was fancy, much to Vega's liking. As he checked into his room at the desk, the girl looked around in wonder as if she's never been in a place such as this. The hotel room was like a small apartment. Not too big. When they got into the room, Vega had gotten a better look at her. She had frizzy shoulder length hair, tan skin, and baggy, dirty clothes. Vega made a sour expression upon looking at her, which made the girl get embarrassed as she tilted her head down. The Spaniard noticed and tried to cover up his disgust.

"Oh! I didn't mean to offend you dear! Well actually…those clothes _do_ make you look...grotesque.." Vega was never one to hide his opinions, no matter how harsh they were at times. Aside from that, he also wasn't used to talking to children, not knowing how words could affect them.

Vega looked at the clock. It read 10:34pm. Had he really been out for so long? That _is_ the time where thugs and muggers lurk the streets, so it was no wonder that ugly man was out to get the young girl. The Spaniard saw the girl trying to adjust herself on the couch out of the corner of his eye. She yawned and rested her head on the couch pillow.

"Thank you for letting me stay here. I promise I won't bother you." He nodded and walked into his bedroom. He took a quick shower, untangled his long braid and prepared for bed. He stared at the ceiling as he laid in the comfortable queen-sized bed. His mind lingered to the girl. He didn't even get her name. Not that it mattered.

What truly bothered him is that he's not used to sharing anything. Even if she was in the other room, out of his sight, he could still feel her presence. Maybe she was a spy sent to gather information. Would an organization even let an agent be harassed just to get into his hotel room? No, too unprofessional. Especially for them to send a child such as herself.

He wondered where she would go when she left. What time did she even mean by ''the morning'? Whenever she woke up? Vega silently cursed at letting himself think so intensely about the girl. Worrying too much makes you stress. And stress makes you age quicker. Which is definitely something Vega wanted to avoid.

He closed his eyes and rolled over to immerse himself into sleep.

The Spaniard let out a yawn and stretched his muscular arms as he got up and made his way to the bathroom. He smiled as he met his reflection in the mirror. His hair was a little disheveled, but he would take care of that later. He jumped when he still saw the girl standing at the door of the bedroom. So she hadn't left like she said she would. She looked like she was trying to muster up the courage to say something.

"...Aren't you Vega? That one famous matador?" He smiled at the question. He always got proud when someone recognized him on the street or a fancy gathering. "Took you long enough to realize." He whipped his long brown hair, awaiting her response.

"Ah...I'm Flora...it's nice to meet you, but I need to ask you something important.." Her face was slightly flushed red as she mumbled the words. She held a hand up to her mouth and looked around the room.

"Could I...use the bathroom?" Vega nearly scoffed at her calling that kind of question ''important'. He walked away from it, letting her enter and lightly shut the door. He made up his mind that after she finished, she would have to go. He patiently sat on his bed, waiting for her to come out. She slowly opened the door, a bit startled that he was still sitting there.

"Okay querida, you said you would go in the morning. So leave." He probably didn't mean it to be as harsh as it came out, but nevertheless he got his point across. She looked even more troubled as she looked to the floor, unmoved.

"I...uh..that's not the important question I wanted to ask." Vega raised an eyebrow. He didn't have time to toy around with a child that's overstayed their welcome.

His eyes widened as he felt her nearly glomp him, tightly tugging her arms around his chest. She started to sob.

"Please, please! Don't let me go back there by myself! I'm scared and this isn't the first time that's happened and-" She broke off her sentence as she started to cry even harder into his chest. He was getting a little annoyed that her tears were staining his shirt. He gently grabbed her and lifted her off of him. He looked at her pitiful face and sighed.

'Hmmm...the beauty of an innocent youth..but it cannot be at its full potential like

...this.' The Spaniard looked at her in the same dirty clothes that disgusted him. He thought of what she would look like if she was properly dressed and cleaned up.

"Fine. I'll get you some new clothes, just because im feeling generous today." The gesture was more out of pity than of generosity. Nevertheless, the girl's face practically lit up as she smiled the biggest smile she could muster up. She tried to hug him again but he held her firmly in place.

"And after that, you leave me alone, alright?" It wasn't his child to begin with, and he certainly didn't some tag-along distraction to hold him back. He was here for a mission, after all.

After Vega shoved her out of the room and changed clothes, they headed out for the nearest clothing store.


	3. Chapter 3

Vega couldn't believe he was doing this. Sure, narcissists like to spend money, but he imagined it would be for himself, not for some kid he ran into on the street. Though he would admit, he was fascinated by how ecstatic the girl was, running from one colorful store to another. Seeing as her clothing was rather..dapper, Vega wouldn't doubt that she was poor, thus not being used to being able to choose whatever frilly article of clothing she wanted. Her eyes lit up at all of the sparkly dresses and accessories. The Spaniard couldn't remember being that excited to be at a clothing store when he was younger. Then again, its maybe due to his family always having a good amount of money in their pockets. Despite offering to take her in the first place, the matador was actually quite embarrassed of being seen with a child that looks like a runt. He mostly stood at the back of the store as she made her selections. They were at the mall, so she hurriedly grabbed what she wanted and moved on to the next store so fast as if she was on a time limit.

"Mr.Vega! Come over here!" Flora said, motioning him over to her. He did admit, it was almost adorable the way she got so riled up over just clothes. "Tell me how this dress looks!" It was a magenta dress that came down to her knees and had sparkles all over the chest area. He was right when he assumed that she would look better in finer clothes. The only thing that still bothered him was her frizzy hair. Maybe he would take her to get a haircut, then let her go.

After they left the final clothing store, they went to the Food Court in the center of the mall. While the Spaniard himself would rather not indulge himself in the terrible fast food restaurants around the mall, he managed to get the satisfied girl a small meal. They sat down at a marble table and Vega noticed that she merely just stared at her food.

"What's the matter? Is it not to your liking? I wouldn't blame you. This food is rather--"

"N-no! It's not that. It's just...I can't thank you enough for being so kind and generous…" She perked up with another sweet smile. Vega felt his stomach turn as the child emitted her gratitude. He only did good deeds sparingly, not being one that had much empathy for other people. He wouldn't be able to answer exactly why he did this for her if she asked. Sure, he liked beautiful things and he would admit that the girl looked lovely in clothes that were not tattered and stained with who knows what. But usually with having many young fans--particularly girls--children just generally wrack his nerves. This girl however, was a bit less insufferable--probably due to her timid nature and not having much to say. Or at least, that's how she is at first glance.

Vega stirred around his tea while he watched the girl scarf the food down as if it would be her last meal. The food eventually found its way onto her face in bits and crumbs. Vega couldn't take it anymore. He wasn't going to tolerate anyone eating like a swine in front of him. It made him want to throw up his lunch onto the floor.

"Stop that at once "

She had quickly shot up as if she was caught doing something wrong, food still in her mouth. "I cannot take it. Eat like a normal person or just throw it away." She paused for a moment before wiping her face with her arm--something that repulsed him to no end-- and started to carefully pick up each of her food items to avoid him criticizing her again.

'What a rambunctious child' he thought. 'Even a poor low-life should at least know not to chew with their mouth open.' His empathy was running short as he felt the need to ditch the child before she did something else to annoy him. 'That would not be very gentlemanly though..at least not to leave her in public like this.'

The Spaniard had already done so much for her. He really didn't want to be dragging her around all day; especially when his mission was tonight. 'There's no way I'm bringing that child with me to the dinner.'

"Mr.Vega, are you alright?" He snapped out of his thoughts. She was standing beside him, having finished her food and thrown it away in the nearest garbage. "Are we going now?"

He merely stared at her before getting up and walking away with her following closely behind. It bugged him that she was still with him. When they walked out of the building, a part of him wanted to turn around and tell her that he was done with her and to leave him alone but there was still one thing irking him: her hair.

He didn't want to be in public with her any further, so he decided to take her back to the hotel to fix it himself. Vega was a perfectionist, and to him, she looked like an unfinished project. Flora was slightly baffled when he sat her down in a chair and draped a towel over her chest like he was a professional stylist.

The one problem was that her hair was knotted and curly, and the only hair he was used to tending for was his own. It startled him when he almost broke one of his combs trying to run it through her hair.

"What is your hair made of? Jello?" He complained. She simply shrugged. "No one has ever offered to do my hair before" she softly smiled.

"I can see why. It's like a jungle. Your mother never styled your hair?" She glanced at him from behind her for a moment. "Ahh...I don't want to talk about it." He scoffed.

-1 hour later- "5:00PM"

"Dammit! The comb got a crack in it!"

"Maybe you should get a professional"

"No, I can do this!"

-2 hours- "6:00 PM"

Vega heavily sighed. He had gotten one side of her head done and was already exhausted.

"You don't have to do this Mr. Vega."

"I'm almost done, might as well finish it."

-3 hours- "7:00 PM"

Vega fell back onto the couch in satisfaction and yawned as he combed the last knotted curl out of her hair. It didn't look perfect, but it was an improvement. He put a few braids in her hair as well for aesthetic.

He looked at the round clock on the wall.

"Ugh! That took three hours and--" he swiftly jumped off the couch "Oh God!"

"What?" Flora said as she got up from the chair and took the cloth from her chest. Vega hurriedly ran into his room and shut the door behind him. He opened his closet.

'The mission starts in an hour and I don't even have my clothes on, the girl's still here, I don't know how long it takes to get there--' The matador's thoughts rushed through his mind as he scrambled to choose his attire.

'Calm down Vega, just don't worry too much and everything will go your way. It always does.' He got his clothes on as fast as he could. It was a white tuxedo with a blue rose pinned on the side of his chest. He preened himself in front of the mirror before noticing Flora standing in the doorway.

She was about to say something before he cut her off. "I don't have enough time to drop you off somewhere, just put on the dress you think is the prettiest or something!" She nodded in response and went in the other room to change.

The car drive was silent. She was astonished when she first saw how modern and expensive his car looked. It was navy blue and had a rose painted on the side. He had already explained to her the rules of being in his car.

"Do not eat or drink in this car. Do not ask me to stop somewhere. Do not dirty the seat." He said more than that, but she only remembered half of what he said. He looked agitated, and she was sure he had ran a red light at one point.

It took an hour before they got to their destination. Vega silently cursed for not choosing a closer hotel, but then again, the matador wasn't expecting to have a 'guest' with him to distract him from the time.

The place they arrived at was a black mansion. The were a lot of guests present inside, sipping wine and laughing away at conversations. It was a dinner party, Flora had guessed.

The two got out of the car and Vega fixed his cufflinks and rose before running a hand through his braided brunette hair.

"Don't embarrass me kid.."


	4. Chapter 4

The mission was simple enough. Get in there, get information from target, then murder said target, and get out before the police arrive. The mission wasn't deathly important to Bison, but he was expecting nothing less than success. Balrog was also accompanying Vega on the mission. The Spaniard assumed the brute was already inside. The black mansion's columns and texture dimly glistened in the moonlight. The matador was immediately recognized and escorted in along with Flora.

He scoffed at how the mansion looked on the interior. 'My manor is a hundred times better than this.' Even with the $1000 dollar chandeliers and the expensive decorations, the matador still stood unimpressed. He spotted Balrog conversing with a circle of people.

''Hmph. Finally acting like a normal human being, huh? Too bad it's only for a short time." He smirked to himself. Flora stared at him for talking to himself but quickly turned her head before he noticed. He put a hand on her shoulder.

"Why don't you go indulge yourself in some of those entrees over there, hmm?" The girl was practically drooling as her attention turned to the numerous dishes and deserts on tables at the far side of the large room. Cakes, pudding, creme brulee,you name it. She raced over to the table and immediately started grabbing things from the buffet. He inwardly sighed ' Thats one load off my back. Now to search out my victim.'

Vega had briefly skimmed over the files on his subject in the car, but still the man was nowhere to be found. Even more frustrating, people were trying to talk to the matador while he was suspiciously looking all around the room. After exchanging some brief conversations, Vega considered contacting Balrog from across the room.

He escaped to the bathroom and was relieved no one was in any of the stalls as he grabbed a walkie talkie from his back pocket.

"This is Vega. Pick up the damn speaker."

Balrog felt the static of the device against his suit. He got annoyed, knowing it would either be Vega or that bastard Bison. The burly man walked outside on the balcony.

"Yeah, yeah. What is it, pretty boy? Not prepared for the mission?" He grunted.

"I'm always prepared. I'm just unaware of whos ugly face I'll have the pleasure of ripping apart tonight." The Spaniard responded. He had his claw and mask skillfully hidden where he could easily find them when it was time to act. The boxer snorted.

"Dude's name is Francisco Bianchi. Age is 42. Italian. Been associated with Shadaloo for a couple of months. He was just makin' "donations" or whatever. Nothing too shady. But didn't take too long before Bison realized the bastard was actually takin' money from us rather than giving. So now the boss wants us to ice 'em."

Vega flipped his hair. He looked at his reflection while leaning over the sink. "Hmph. How rude. I'll enjoy putting this one out of his misery."

"If you had good eyes, you would realize that he's the one with the badly trimmed mustache and ugly black hair that's way too long." Vega pouted at his partner's petty insults. He put the speaker away as he heard someone's footsteps down the outside the door. He walked back into the lobby where most guests were now sitting at white crystal-like tables. The matador quickly spotted Flora face down on one of the far tables, surrounded by dirty plates and bowls as if she'd just had a feast.

He went over to the table, then scanned the room once more for the man. He had to stand on his toes to even get a slight glimpse of the top of the man's head. 'He _does_ have a badly trimmed mustache…' Vega thought. The man was wearing a black suit without a shirt underneath. 'He's making this way too easy.' Vega laughed to himself.

"Mr. Vega…" He turned around in his seat to see that the girl was waking up. "I don't feel well" She was grasping at her stomach under the table. 'Oh great. As if this mission wasn't already dreadful enough.' He raised an eyebrow as the crowd around his target dispersed, and the man went onto the balcony by himself, a glass of wine in hand.

"Hey dirtbag, the guy's alone. It's now or never." Balrog's voice crackled through the static of the speaker. Vega smirked as he dusted himself off and made his way toward the outside door. A breeze met him as he slowly pushed the door open. Balrog was talking with the smug man before they were interrupted by Vega's presence.

"Good evening, Mr. Bianchi." He shook his fairly cold hand. "Its pretty rude to not acknowledge one of your guests. I got here not long ago and haven't heard a word from you." The Spaniard's braided hair gracefully drifted in the direction of the wind. The Italian man rubbed the back of his head, almost nervously.

"I am sorry. There were so many people around me that I did not see you walk in." He had a slight accent. He tried to put on a reassuring smile, but to Vega it just made him look pathetic.

"Is that so?" Vega questioned. 'How dare he ignore the presence of such beauty!?'

Despite his sporadic thoughts, Vega calmly nodded to Balrog. Who in turn, scoffed heavily.

"So," Balrog started, "Where's the money you owe Shadaloo, pal?" The Italian man noticeably tensed up. He rubbed the back of his head and chuckled nervously. "What do you mean? I've been oh so generously giving Shadaloo money since-"

"Filthy liar!" Balrog yelled, spit flying from his mouth. His voice was surely loud enough for someone inside to hear, which made Vega inwardly sigh. The middle aged man took a few steps back, frightened by the boxer. The Spaniard smirked and put his foot out for the man to trip backwards and painfully hit the concrete ground on his back. Vega stood over him as the Italian's face showed signs of being horrified. The man let out a yelp as the Spaniard pulled out his claw from inside his suit. The man shakingly held up his hands.

"Now now gentlemen. No need to get messy..guh!" He was cut off by Vega lifting the metal claw to his neck with a sinister smirk gracing his features.

"It seems that you've already made your choice.." Vega held the blade close enough to the man's skin to make a cut. He was quickly taken aback by the man suddenly grabbing the matador's arm and violently swooping his leg into Vega's ankle to get up and make his escape. Vega faltered a little before regaining his balance.

The man limped to the door using the balcony railing for support before he took a device out his pocket and pressed a button. "Security!"

"Aw crap!" Balrog growled. The boxer ran to grab the Italian, but he was met with a bigger, heavily equipped man blocking his punch. The Italian escaped inside and tried to hide within the groups of more men came out onto the balcony to apprehend Balrog before he got into a fighting stance. He whipped his head around to Vega.

"Don't just stand there! Get 'em!"

Vega nodded and kicked one of the guards blocking the entrance before running in. One tried to stop him but they were quickly met with a heavy punch from Balrog, breaking their headgear.

Vega frantically looked around but the man appeared to be nowhere. Some people were concerned with the Spaniard having a claw attached to his hand, but he ignored them as he continued his search. He felt a tug on his jacket and inwardly groaned.

"Mr. Vega what's wrong? Are you looking for someone?" Flora asked. She had somehow gotten over her stomach ache enough to walk. Vega loathed those innocent puppy eyes she would always gaze at him with. "No time to fool around with you, have you seen a man running through here a second ago?"

"You mean the man with black hair? I think I saw him hide under the table." Vega immediately started snatching every tablecloth, gaining attention from a number of people. He silently cursed, realizing that he forgot to put on his mask. He turned his head as he heard shuffling from one of the tables behind him.

"There you are, you little pest~" He said in a sing song voice as he tightly clenched the tablecloth. He was immediately met with a quick fist connecting with his cheekbone, making him hold his head in agony. He was instantly enraged.

No one bruises his face and gets away with it.

His eyes tightly shut, still recovering from the exasperating pain, seized the man's neck, choking him harshly. Vega's expression changed into a deadly, vengeful one.

"Mr. Vega!" Flora cried as her and a number of guests gasped in shock. This side of Vega frightened her. Her generous savior changed into a vicious attacker at the drop of a dime.

"You must have a death wish.." Vega spat as he started to bring his claw up to the coughing man's face. His nails dug into the man's neck, causing blood to gush down his chest. The assassin was forced to drop him as he heard more reinforcements arriving behind him. He slashed one of the guards' vest and stabbed the other one's foot. They started screaming in agony as Vega turned towards the crowd. People were quickly starting to run out of the building, some shrieking while trying to get through the door. The Spaniard wanted to smirk, as their screams pleased his twisted mind, but his job wasn't done yet.

He was tackled from behind and his head was being forcefully thrashed into the tile floor. As he struggled, he heard the tapping of someone running closer and closer. The soldier was hit on the backside with a heavy smack, causing him to let go of Vega. He was relieved when the guard unhanded his head but was shocked to see the one that caused the man to let up.

Flora was heavily huffing as she held one of the big marble table chairs. She fumbled with it before striking the guard once again with the item. She aimed for his face this time but missed and nearly tripped over herself. The horribly confused guard tried to calm the angry girl down, only to be briskly kicked in the shin. As the man cried in pain, the girl went over to Vega and examined him.

"Are you okay? I saw you get punched!" To Vega, this situation was hardly believable. Someone actually _willingly_ defended him? Sure, Sagat and Balrog would have his back during missions, but only begrudgingly so, because they were partners and if one of them didn't make it, there would be consequences.

'The beauty of an innocent youth, rooted in tragedy' The same thought ran through his mind as when he first met her. 'Truly interesting..'

The both of them tensed up as they groaning behind them. 'That bastard is still alive?!' Vega thought. As the battered man got up, Vega lifted himself off the ground as well, preparing to attack. He was breathing heavily, hand caressing his neck where it was punctured, his stringy black hair attached to the sweat on his face.

"I won't let that damn Bison get his grubby hands on me..Even if I have to die to avoid him, I'll take his dear commanders with me!" He coughed up a small amount of blood before pulling out another black device from his jacket.

Balrog wildly burst through the balcony door.

"Run! Run! He's got a bomb!"

Vega grabbed Flora by the collar and they and Balrog rushed out of the room, leaving the injured man to yell after them. They were on the second floor of the mansion. But of course with it being a _mansion_ , it had a big interior, big enough to get lost. When they made it to one of the mansion's many hallways, Balrog cursed. It would've been helpful for Bison to include a layout of the mansion to have an escape plan.

"Damnit! Where's the freakin' exit?"

"The right, and then we turn left and down the stairs!" Flora exclaimed. Vega fully picked her up as they hurriedly hopped down the stairs. Balrog rammed through the giant exit doors and the three were blasted in the air as the explosion set off behind them. The rubble flew through the air and fire was set off in one of the upper rooms. Smoke fumed through the air as Balrog and Vega coughed and dusted themselves off from landing on the wet grass. Vega's eyes widened as he noticed Flora was still lying on the ground, unmoving.

"Is the kid dead?" Balrog asked with the smallest amount of concern in his voice. As Vega reached to check her pulse, blaring red and blue lights coming closer blurred in his sight. "We've no time! We must depart immediately!" Vega ordered. He tossed the girl in the backseat of his car and the two men got in the front seats, rapidly shutting the doors and speeding off.

Target eliminated. The mission was complete, only with a few scratches.


	5. Chapter 5

It was 11:09am. Vega sat in his favorite chair in the Shadaloo ''relaxation room' as he called it. The matador had pleaded with Bison to have at least one room that made him feel comfortable and remind him of his luxurious home back in Spain at the Shadaloo base. Bison didn't really care, as long as the lower rank soldiers were not caught slacking off in the room. Vega had took it upon himself to decorate it just to his liking, making it look like it belonged in a five-star restaurant rather than a terrorist base. He rarely let Balrog or Sagat into the room, thinking of it as his private space.

The matador took a sip of wine and set it back down on the coffee table. He breathily sighed and peered out the window, getting a decent view of the airships and soldiers outside. There was a hard knock at the door, disturbing his peace.

"I know you're in here. Lemme in." Vega rolled his eyes as he got up and slowly cracked the door open. Balrog tried to him an intimidating look but Vega just scoffed. The boxer shoved him while walking in and plopped down onto one of the dark red couches and put his legs on the coffee table.

"Excuse you?"

"What?" Balrog gave a half-shrug.

"Nevermind." Vega truly loathed Balrog, but working with him wasn't the worst experience of his life. Balrog spat a toothpick out of his mouth, making the Spaniard cringe in disgust. "Why are you here?"

"Why am I here? You've got that kid in the infirmary, dontcha?" Balrog responded. It had slipped Vega's mind that the girl was even there. After they left the burning mansion, Vega had packed all of his things from Seattle and he and Balrog had immediately boarded the jet back to Shadaloo HQ. The boxer wiped the spit from his mouth with his textured glove and huffed.

"So, what are ya gonna do with 'er? Can't believe you even brought the runt with you in the first place." The Spaniard glared at him while pouring more wine in his glass.

"You've got some nerve to call her a runt when you drag along that no-mannered blonde boy around with you everywhere." Balrog tensed up in anger at first but let it go. Vega smirked as he thought he had won the argument.

"At least Ed knows not to rat us out to the police or somethin like that. There's no telling what that kid'll do once you drop her off somewhere. Might even tell the authorities where our base is." He snorted. Vega truly didn't know what to do with the girl after she woke up, Balrog's comments only adding to the frustration. The matador sighed heavily before taking another sip.

"I'm...indifferent right now to what I'll do about the situation." Vega repeatedly tapped his sharp-nailed finger against the arm of the chair. His eyebrow twitched as he heard the boxer shuffling around while closing his eyes to think.

"If ya ask Boss, he'll probably be like ''We've no need for pests running around'" He mocked Bison with a deep voice. Vega scoffed, knowing full well that if their boss was actually around, Balrog wouldn't have dared to say that. "Or worse, make her into one of those ragdoll things." The Spaniard tensed up as that could be a very real option that the commander could take. The two were interrupted by the sound of a speaker at the right of the ceiling.

"Mr.Vega, the commander has called for you immediately." One of the soldiers announced, much to Vega's dismay. Balrog smirked, as if he was teasing the matador about having to face their boss. Vega headed towards the door.

"Don't touch my wine." He said as he opened the door and started to walk down the hallway.

"It's gross anyway!" The boxer yelled down the hallway for Vega to hear.

Flora jolted up from the white bedsheets. She looked around at her surroundings. It seemed that she was in a patient room. There was a band around her wrist that was attached to a heart rate monitor. She was horribly confused until she vaguely remembered the events from the night prior.

 _She remembers her fear in the moment. People running and screaming past her in the blink of an eye. She stood frozen in place, not knowing what to do. Her vision shifted to her guardian,Vega, being pressed up against the floor by one of the security guards. The girl's mind kept racing between helping the man she's been entrusting her safety with, or letting him get taken away to jail. She was well aware that Vega was trying to murder someone, which is something she felt she didn't need to condone, but.._ _She shook her head and ultimately decided that the best option right now was to help the matador. The girl struggled in trying to lift one of the crystal-like chairs and smacked it down onto the guard's back._ _After that, all she remembered was trying to escape the mansion before_ _it blew up on the inside._

Her head started to ache, realizing she might've been hit by the debris of the explosion, causing her to be knocked out so quickly. Her hair was back to being in its original state, messy and somewhat rough in some spots. She ran her hand through it before looking at the time.

Her feet met the cold floor as she slowly got out of the bed, not wanting to injure herself anymore. She peeked out the door and realized she wasn't in a hospital. There were men who she presumed were soldiers traveling about on the base, some engaged in conversation. Flora strongly felt that she had no business being there. She heard the sound of footsteps getting closer and hurriedly closed the door back.

She hopped back into the bed, pulling the covers over her to pretend she was asleep. The girl curled up and squinched her eyes, hearing the door squeak open. She flinched a little, nervous that she would be caught. She smelled a bitter and toxic scent as the person drew closer to her.

"Hmm...what do we have here?" The figure questioned.

Vega entered Bison's lair, unamused by the red, glowing interior, which to him made the atmosphere feel dull rather than intimidating. The pupiless man sat in his chair, a toothy grin coming to his face upon seeing his best assassin enter the room.

"What a pleasant surprise!" Bison said with a surprising amount of glee. Vega did a graceful bow before his commander.

"It is always a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr.Bison." His boss smiled at the comment. Vega was one of the scarce amount of people on Bison's good side, and he wanted to keep it that way. Unless he loses interest in the commander, of course.

"So, give me a report on your latest assignment. I trust that you and Balrog did well?" The man tapped his chair.

"Yes sir. We successfully executed the target." Vega proudly flipped his hair. "Unfortunately we were met with resistance and the man ended up bombing his own mansion, but we got out unscathed."

"Excellent. Dirty money-grubber..If I had sent any other agent on this mission it would've been prone to failure." Bison folded his arms. "We could use more agents like you, Vega."

It always stroked Vega's already inflated ego when Bison praised him for his excellent work. After running what Bison had said a few times in his head, the Spaniard had an idea.

'More agents like me, hmm?' He thought.

"Well Mr.Bison, there is someone we could recruit that could possibly meet your standards as much as I do. Not exactly of course, but someone does come to mind.."

Bison's eyebrows raised as he became increasingly curious to who the assassin was referring to.

"Interesting. Make a deal with them to come here. Then we'll see if they are truly worthy of being part of Shadaloo." Bison raised his hand in the air. "That is all. You may leave." Vega bowed and walked out the exit of the lair. He loudly sighed.

"I can't believe I just recommended a child to work for Shadaloo."

Flora shivered as she felt a hand grip on the white sheet she was under. She closed her eyes tight, preparing to be caught.

"Yo FANG! Whaddya' doing?" The hand was removed from the cover at the sound of Balrog's voice. The man whipped his head around to look at the boxer.

"I was trying to see if a Doll had been hiding in the infirmary." The Chinese man folded his arms with his long sleeves. Balrog stared him down. "Get back to work."

F.A.N.G let out a ''hmph!' before hurriedly stepping out of the room. Balrog watched him until he was out of eyeshot. He looked back at the anxious girl bundled up in the covers.

"You can come out now." The girl slowly unveiled herself before seeing that it was only the man she had seen with Vega before. "Thank you. I was scared."

"You should be, kid. Do you know where you are--"

"Ahem!"

Balrog was cut off by the sound of Vega standing in the doorway, clearing his throat. They both stared at each other.

"I think I should be the one to explain things to her. Run along." He put his hand in Balrog's face with a shoo-ing motion. The boxer grunted before begrudgingly heading out the room and slamming the door behind him.

"Someone's feelings are hurt." Vega laughed to himself. Flora awkwardly laughed a little before getting uncomfortable. While he did protect her and all, his behavior from the previous night has left her on edge ever since. Vega clinched the bridge of his nose and let out a low sigh.

"We need to talk, dear."


	6. Chapter 6

Before Vega was able to even utter a word explaining the situation, Flora began to blurt out words asking for forgiveness.

"I-I'm so sorry for getting in your way! I promise I won't tell anyone what happened, just please don't kill me!" Her small hands tightly gripped the bed sheets, jittering.

Vega had no idea how to respond to that. Obviously the kid was afraid and confused and now she was scared of him too. Vega hates children, sure, but there was no way he could let her just leave. Balrog had already stated earlier that by doing that, they would be jeopardizing the state of the organization. The matador let out a sigh.

"Honestly, if I had wanted you dead you would have been left at that mansion."

The statement had reassured her a little, but after seeing how he acted at the dinner she wasn't sure what he was thinking right now. He had obviously proven he was some kind of sick in the head. She decided that calmly talking to him was probably the best thing she could do right now.

"Why did you do that to that man last night?"

Vega already knew that would be her first question. He mockingly groaned. "Look honey, I'm just gonna tell it to you straight. I'm a criminal. And it doesn't matter if you try to tell someone because you have no proof." He inwardly smirked, knowing he was right. It was true, everyone in the outside world saw him as a noble matador, someone to be praised. When really, he was as demented as one could get.

"But why? Why do you do this? Everyone looks up to you!" Hearing him openly admit to his crimes made her stomach twirl.

Her remark made Vega scoff. That's what anyone would ask upon hearing that. He walked over to a desk beside the bed that had a vase full of flowers sitting on it. Her eyes stayed locked on him, still unsure of what he was trying to do. He picked a single flower from the vase.

"You ask me 'why' I do this?" He twirled the flower in his fingers. "You see this flower?" She nodded her head. "Its pretty? Is it not? There are many things in this world that destroy pretty things like this...vile ugly beings such as that man from the other day. People like him don't understand. Don't appreciate beautiful things." As his volume rose, he gripped the flower tighter. "They don't deserve to live. I made it my duty to exterminate those creatures."

While it was clear that she was paying close attention, it seemed that she still didn't understand a word he was saying. He noticed, and knelt down beside her spot in the bed.

"Believe it or not, I used to be like you. Albeit, more distinguished, but still. Parentless and awfully confused. But now that I have mentality that I do, I'm successful and I can stand up for what I think is right. And no one has to know about the bad things. Don't you want that for yourself?" He held out the flower towards her.

She hesitated, but held the flower in her hands. She stared at it for a moment before looking at him.

"I suppose you're right. But...will you give me a place to stay?"

Vega's eyes widened. Is that really all she cared about? What an impressionable child. This would be easier than he thought. But did she really think he would let her stay in his mansion with him? The thought made him scoff, but leaving her at the Shadaloo base wasn't the best idea either. He huffed, brushing some hair out of his face.

"We'll figure something out." He said begrudgingly. "But you still owe something in return for me since I'm generously sparing your life."

She got uneasy. "W-what is it?"

"You have to join Shadaloo." A smirk grew on his face. It was quite fun frightening the girl, but deep down he knew that it would be thrown back in his face later by her cowardly behavior.

"And if I don't?" She questioned him. It seemed as if she was trying to stand up for herself, but eventually she would give in to his wishes as she was too weak to consider anything else.

"Well, one of two things could happen." He teasingly held up two fingers to her face.

"Either I kick you back to the streets, or let's just say things could get messy for you. Or both maybe."

Chun-li rushed to the main office of Interpol. She had been contacted and told that an infamous criminal had just been spotted only days ago. When she was informed that it was someone she had formerly encountered and tried to arrest, she already knew it had something to do with Shadaloo. After walking past three hallways, she opened the office door.

"You wanted to see me sir?" She asked, setting her bag down and beginning to take a seat. But not before she noticed someone familiar in the room.

"Cammy?"

Cammy smiled and waved at her. The two were very close friends, so seeing each other was a treat in itself. But Chun-Li wondered why she would be at Interpol.

'Now I know it must have something to do with Shadaloo..' she thought.

"Take a seat, Officer Chun-Li." The Interpol chief stated. She complied to his order. "What's going on? This must be serious.."

"It is." Cammy stated. Her tone was grave, and the Delta Red agent slided files over the desk towards Chun-Li. The Chinese woman picked them up and carefully examined them in silence for a few minutes.

"Looks like our old friend Vega is up to his devious deeds again. They never learn, do they?" Cammy shook her head. Chun-Li abhorred even the sound of his name at this point. Every time she heard it, awful memories flooded her mind. She passed the files back to the British agent and stood up in her chair. The files had photo evidence and text about Vega and Balrog's escapade and escape from a mansion in Seattle.

"I'd be happy to take this mission, sir. Will you allow me to?" The Chinese officer waited for approval with a stern expression.

The chief nodded and gave her files on the details of the matador's current location. "Be careful out there." He dismissed the both of them and they headed outside the building.

Cammy turned towards Chun-Li while they were walking to her car. "So what's the plan?"

"We're taking a little trip to Spain, so we'll be ready by the time he returns to his mansion there."


End file.
